Mason Plumlee is the best passing big in the NBA

Mason Plumlee is the starting center for the Portland Trail Blazers. He only averages 27 minutes a game through 18 games this season. Unless you are a Blazers’ fan or a big fan of the Duke Blue Devils, Plumlee probably slips under your radar.

He is not a flashy player. He is 6’11 but does not produce flashy dunks or make the Sportscenter Top 10. He just plays a role for the Blazers and if you watch the games, he often goes relatively unnoticed.

That is exactly why is underrated as a passer. Below is a highlight video from November 18th were Plumlee shows off a sample of his passing ability.

Let us dive into some stats to see how well Plumlee rates out as a passer.

What the Stats Say

Mason Plumlee is averaging 4.6 assists per game this season. Good enough for 2nd best in the NBA among centers.

If you view the advanced stat assist percentage according to NBA.com/stats, Plumlee rates 4th among centers at 23.3%, but he is the best in the league among players who have played at least 10 games.

This all only playing roughly 27 minutes a game, the Blazers are blessed with great depth and have not found the need to push Plumlee. Plumlee is clearly an underrated passer and could very well be the best passing big man by season’s end.

Summary

There you have it, my thoughts on why Mason Plumlee is a great and underrated passer. Next time you tune into a Portland Trail Blazers game take notice of how many times they run the offense through him. He is definitely a fantastic and underrated passer and hopefully he soon gets the national recognition he deserves.

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